Air hostess tests H1N1 negative, but crew wary

With the H1N1 virus spreading far and wide, Indian flight attendants are no no longer eager to fly in the international sector.
Though they are not evading duty, they feel they are the most vulnerable to the flu as they interact closely with hundreds of strangers from across the world. On June 14, a Jet Airways flight attendant who came from Brussels to Chennai reported symptoms of flu to the health desk at the airport and was quarantined. Though she tested negative for H1N1 and was released, the flight attendant volunteered to get the test because she flew in a Toronto-Brussels flight in which a passenger was later identified as H1N1 positive.
Such situations are causing concern among cabin crew deputed to fly international, especially because airports abroad do not screen departing passengers. Passengers are screened only at arriving airports. So, cabin crew are at risk when the flight boards passengers from airports abroad.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) has distributed masks to all employees who come into direct contact with arriving international passengers at Indian airports. But, cabin crew cannot wear masks and serve passengers in flight for fear that they will be spreading panic.Recently, India made an appeal to countries infected with flu to screen passengers before letting them board planes at airports. "We will never know if a passenger is infected unless he/ she makes a voluntary declaration, which is rare, or till they are detected on arrival by the health desk," said a cabin crew. "The airline has given a directive to its crew to report to the health desk at airport if they suffer from fever or flu. The flight attendant may have approached the health desk at the airport following this," said a Jet Airways official.
Other airlines have also given similar directives to their crew.
25/06/09 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Categories: Foreign Jun 2009, Indian Aviation- In General Jun 2009